Judge Seeber Bridge repairs started
Judge Seeber Bridge repairs under way
by John McCusker, The Times-Picayune
Saturday June 21, 2008, 1:45 PM
Workers install a new motor which will power a metal traffic barrier on the Judge Seeber Bridge over the Industrial Canal in the ninth ward. The long-broken barriers contributed to the accident in which a veteran NOPD officer plunged to his death. The repairs will take a couple of days.
Related:
Police, family pay respects to officer
Felix lauded for bravery, dedication
Thursday, May 29, 2008
By Laura Maggi, The Times-Picayune
At an emotional funeral service, members of the New Orleans Police Department on Wednesday remembered Detective Tommie Felix as a devoted police officer who always took it upon himself to go after the bad guys, even if it meant risking his life.
Detective Gabriel Favaroth, a longtime friend who attended the NOPD police academy with Felix, called him a beloved prankster, but one who could balance levity with serious police business.
“If we had one (Tommie) in each district, the world would be a better place,” said Favaroth, who choked up during his eulogy, remembering his friend and former partner.
Felix, who joined the department in 1991, died early in the morning on May 20 when his car plummeted into the Industrial Canal because of a series of mechanical and operational breakdowns at the Claiborne Avenue drawbridge.
His death marks the fourth death in the past seven months within NOPD ranks. Officer Nicola Cotton was killed in late January after a confrontation with a man in a parking lot. Sgt. Thelonious Dukes died a month after he was shot by a robber during what police have described as a home invasion. Rookie officer Matthew Schmit was killed in a car accident in December, just a few days after graduating from the police academy.
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